Silence
by Armed-With-Music
Summary: High School Fic Tenten is caught in an abusive relationship until she finds someone who cares. TenGaa, with ShinoHina, SasuTema and NejiDei.
1. Chapter 1

A/N- This is my first fanfic EVER. I'll post more chapters once I get a few reviews- if nobody reads it, I won't bother. Rated T for abuse, some graphic descriptions, language and romance. It'll be fluffy, you just have to be patient with me. All in good time. I'll be quiet now.

Disclaimer- I don't own Naruto.

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Tenten POV

"This is crazy", I thought to myself. "There's no way I can do this."

My steps were uneasy as I walked through the school that would now be my home. I folded my arms tightly, attempting to still my shaking hands.

In reality, this wasn't my first time here. Last week, I had visited the office to finish enrolling, and taken a tour of the school and dormitories. I had been previously homeschooled, and the massive buildings were intimidating.

Konoha Institute of Education was a university, with a boarding school sector for high school students. Despite this, almost all of the high schoolers were day students. The high school dormitories were separate from Residence, which was for university students. (A/N: due to their lack of importance, the university section and students will not be mentioned again. 'student' will now refer to high school students, etc.) I would be one of ten teens living at the school, and the only one in my building. The entire place had been deserted during my tour.

Not so now. As I made my way through the throng of students, hundreds of eyes flashed towards me, then looked away. I was of no importance, something to be forgotten. I couldn't see anyone at all that I recognized.

"Tenten! What the hell are you doing here?" Finally, a familiar face. Albeit an angry one. Though I had heard it daily for years, the sound of his voice still made me cringe. Wishing I had continued unnoticed, I acknowledged the person now forcefully steering me through the hall.

"Neji. This is my school now. You know that."

"Whatever. English is about to start, come on."

Surprised out of my thoughts by the harsh tone of a bell, I noted that I had been pushed into a classroom and into a seat. I adjusted myself into a more comfortable position, then glanced sideways at Neji. He had a bored expression on his face, and was playing with a piece of his hair. He made no further indication of anything, and went on as though I wasn't there.

I had known Neji for two years now. When I was fourteen, he had shown up unexpectedly at my doorstep. That was before the accident.

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FLASHBACK

I was in my room, shaping a piece of art when the doorbell rang. My parents were downstairs, one of them would get it. I continued.

"Tenten, a friend is here for you!" Weird. I spent almost all of my time carving stone and working on schoolwork. Being home schooled and distinctly antisocial, I had no friends.

Bewildered, I set down my work and went downstairs. In the doorway stood a tall youth with lavender eyes and dark hair. I had never seen him before.

"Come for a walk". I was surprised by his voice, and the unshakeable firmness in the tone. It didn't sound like a request.

I looked back at my parents, who were smiling. Did they plan this? It wasn't unlikely, they worried about my solitude. They thought that I should know more people my age.

Pulling on my wrist, he led me outside and down the road. Confused as I was, it was hard to remain polite. It wasn't like he was trying either.

"My name is Neji Hyuuga. It is the wish of my parents and yours that we get to know each other."

Sighing, I pulled away. This had happened before.

"That doesn't mean we will, or should. I don't know you! I don't have time for this." I was being blunt, I wanted him gone.

"That is not my concern."

"Excuse me?" We had stopped.

"Starting today, I am your boyfriend. It has been arranged that we be married when you have turned eighteen. We will be engaged at seventeen, and it is advisable that we become acquainted before then."

I was stunned. Who the hell did he think he was, telling me this stuff with a completely blank expression? When did this stop being MY life?

"I'm sorry, but no. Just…NO!"

"It is not your decision. Meet me here tomorrow, around seven in the evening."

He strode away without another word.

I sprinted home, finding my parents beaming. My mother spoke first.

"Do you like him? Just think, our Tenten married to a Hyuuga! I was so pleasantly surprised when his uncle approached us….think what this will mean for our grandchildren!"

"Mom, I'm fourteen! I don't know him! I won't do it!"

Both of them pretended not to hear me. It would stay that way.

End Flashback

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I looked up, hearing my name.

"Well?" the teacher prompted, a sneer spreading across his face. Apparently I had missed a question of some sort.

"I'm sorry, I didn't hear." I tried my best to look remorseful.

"Well LISTEN!" His face was way to close, screaming the last word. I could see every detail of a scar that ran across his nose. Before I finished my stuttered apology, he strode away. Neji gave no sign that anything had happened.

A pair of dark-rimmed eyes flashed up to meet mine. I matched his gaze, curious. Why didn't he look away? The boy had blood-red hair and a matching tattoo. Isolated, he sat apart from the rest of the class. Eyeliner surrounded his still-staring eyes, and his clothes seemed Gothic. They looked good on him, but nobody paid any notice. Without thinking, I spoke softly.

"Who's that?" Neji yanked me to my feet. The others were getting up and leaving, the bell must have rung. Instantly regretting saying anything, I let Neji pull me through the crowd. It was lunchtime. I must have blanked out for a while.

Neji's face was stony as he escorted me away from the building. Once we were out of sight, he turned on me.

"Are you _trying_ to embarrass me? What's with the staring contest? Did you even notice I was speaking to you? What the hell do you think you're doing?"

I stayed very still and closed my eyes, waiting for it to be over.

"Mm!" A small cry forced itself out of my throat as he punched me hard on the shoulder. I lost my balance, and fell. I tried to get up, but was stopped by Neji's foot in my side. My body shook, but I said nothing. His face was livid, and he kicked me one more time. I fought back another cry as his toe connected with a still-healing rib.

Then his face was normal, and he was helping me up.

"Come on, I eat over here." I followed him in silence, still shaking.

It wouldn't be mentioned, and nobody would know. The marks on my skin, hidden by my clothes were the only evidence. And after the…accident with my parents, there was nobody to notice if I limped.

We rounded the corner again, headed for the eastern courtyard. Glancing to the right, my eyes once again connected with the redhead from earlier. He was alone, leaning against the wall adjacent to where Neji and I had just been. Had he heard?

I snapped my gaze forward before Neji noticed, but couldn't erase the dark stare from my mind.

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So that's the first chapter. There is more, but because I haven't typed it out yet, you need to review and tell me if you want more. I'll still post, but if it's going to be regular then you need to tell me. Come on, review- how long does it take?


	2. Chapter 2

A/N- So here is chapter two! I'm posting early because I've finished it early, but I haven't even started chapter three yet. I could use a little motivation. cough-_review_-cough. That aside, I'm having fun with this one! Read and please review! It doesn't take that long! If I don't have a total of five, I may not bother with the next chapter. Only two more! …. And sorry for all the POV hopping in this chapter, try to bear with me.

I love you all for bothering to read my insane ramblings!

Disclaimer- I do not own Naruto

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Gaara POV

I made my way to the dorm/apartment unit that I shared with my siblings. The first day have school had ended hours ago, but I'd been wandering the grounds for a while. Just thinking….among other things.

Not that there was much to think about- schoolwork was still to easy, people still kept their distance from me. Even my siblings avoided me- they found my long silences awkward, and didn't dare to disturb me. Most people were suspicious of my aversion to sleep, and the fact that blood droplets tended to follow me. I was labeled as a criminal, frightening, and dangerous. Due to the fact that I apparently intimidated everyone, I spent most of my time painting and wandering as I did now. In truth, I hated being alone. It wasn't really a choice anymore.

I made sure that my still-bleeding arm was carefully covered before I entered the unit. No need for anybody to know about that. It was my secret that bled drops in my wake, and it wasn't for anybody else.

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Tenten POV

Leaning back from my desk at home, I squeezed my eyes shut. My ribs hurt, and I couldn't focus on my homework any longer. I should have put it down hours ago, but I couldn't clear the image of those dark-rimmed eyes from my mind.

It was already pushing midnight, and I knew I had school tomorrow. Still, I didn't dare sleep. If I dreamed tonight, I wouldn't be able to face the world, myself or Neji in the morning.

Never before had I ever felt the slightest urge to disobey Neji's rules. But now….I was so curious about this redhead. The emotions didn't make sense, and I tried to stop before they intensified. I had no reason to be acting this way, and I would only end up provoking Neji. Deciding it was useless, however, got me nowhere in the way of sleep.

Packing up my books, I stalked soundlessly to bed. Motionless, I lay there for about ten minutes before giving up. It was too quiet here- how was I supposed to sleep when there was nothing to distract me from my thoughts? A stab of pain from a memory assaulted my mind, but I quickly squashed it.

I dressed, then left the unit. I didn't really have a purpose in mind, but I wasn't about to stay in the apartment. I could feel the emotion that I usually repressed during the day coming out, and I wanted to be far away from witnesses when it happened. I hadn't yet checked if anybody lived in the neighboring units.

I started slowly, padding barefoot through the halls. Passing the only other lighted unit in the building, I broke into a brisk walk, then a run. By the time I broke through the door into the raining outdoors, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. Memories were building behind my eyes, memories I'd tried so hard to forget. I ran harder, but couldn't escape the pictures in my mind.

The Accident.

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Gaara POV

My siblings both slept. The light was still on in my room- I was painting. I wanted to finish this piece before I called it a night and pretended to sleep. However, it must have been at least half an hour since I'd made a mark on the picture. It was a small, quickly done portrait and almost finished. Her hair was worn oddly, in buns. Just someone I'd seen today, but I felt strange at the thought of her, and was trying to get it in the picture. I couldn't decide how to get it just right, and it infuriated me. A low growl escaped my lips- I was getting mad. I needed to get outside.

I threw a glance out the window. It was pitch black outside, and raining hard. I should stay inside, but I put on my shoes anyway.

Footsteps rang though the hall, just outside the door. The clock read 1:15 AM. What? Nobody lived in this building anyway. _I don't think anybody lives here…._

My decision made, I slipped out the door. Silently, I followed the footsteps.

_What better thing is there to do at night?_

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TenTen POV

I fought back tears as I ran, knowing that I couldn't escape the pain now. My feet bled, bits of glass embedded in them. I had run through a broken bottle, and I wasn't wearing shoes. I didn't care. Pulling my hair out of it's customary buns, I let it fall. It was raining hard now.

My run slowed- I had reached the edge of campus. Trees lined the grounds, and I curled up beneath one. As quietly as I could, I gave myself over to the memory and the tears.

_---FLASHBACK---_

I had been gone for the day, shopping alone in town. I was in a good mood-I hadn't seen Neji since yesterday, and had found some deals when I was shopping. I was newly sixteen.

Getting off the city bus, I started walking in the direction of my house. I could hear sirens. Weird- our residential community was virtually the definition of peaceful.

I quickened my pace- there was a thick column of smoke rising ahead. At my house. I started to run.

Ten minutes later, I was standing in my worst nightmare. People were swarming around the flaming ruin of my home, some fighting the fire, some gawking. I turned to a fireman on my left.

"Where's Mom? Dad?" I couldn't see them anywhere. They should be standing out here, distraught over the loss of the home, holding the family cat….they should be here.

"Are you Ten Ten? The girl that lived here?" I nodded wordlessly, horror spreading through my veins. I could feel it tingling in my wrists, my legs, my chest.

"I'm sorry, but-" I didn't need to hear anymore. I tore in the direction of the burning house. I needed to find them. They were all I had, I didn't want to exist without my parents.

Long, icy fingers locked around my wrist. I whipped around to face Neji.

"Let me GO!"

"They're gone, TenTen. There's nothing you can do. Stop this. Now." His face was expressionless, his lavender eyes unblinking.

_---END FLASHBACK---_

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Gaara POV

I followed the figure ahead of me, blinking rain out of my eyes. It appeared to be the girl from this morning, the one with Neji.

I stiffened at the thought of Neji. Arrogant jerk…I had my suspicions about him. And people thought _I_ was a menace…If he was going to be her boyfriend, why wasn't he nicer? I had surreptitiously watched them through English- he had spoken once. And after, when she was limping on their way to lunch, he made no move to help her.

Ahead of me, she slowed, then curled up beneath a tree. I approached slowly, not wanting to scare her.

Was she crying? Her hair, hung, sodden in front of her face. It dripped relentlessly onto her bare, bleeding feet. Blood slid from her left foot into a puddle of rainwater, slowly dyeing the puddle pink. The darkness made it hard to see.

Slowly, I sat beside her. We were both soaking, and I realized neither of us were wearing a jacket. She was shaking uncontrollably.

I fingered my ring, which hung around my neck. It was nothing special, something I'd found that happened to match my eye color. For unknown reasons, I was always able to draw comfort from it when I lost control. She needed it more than I did.

Carefully, I put a arm around her, trying to still her shaking. She didn't say anything at all, lost in whatever was bothering her.

We stayed like that for hours.

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TenTen POV

Somewhere through the dark, I felt someone beside me. I tried to stop crying, knowing that if Neji had found me, I would be punished for this.

The figure was too tall to be Neji, his face angled down into the top of my head. And warm. Neji was never warm, physically or otherwise.

After a time, I managed to stop. Light was beginning to spread through the sky, and the rain lessened. I could see the way back now.

Wordlessly, we rose. He pressed a ring into my hand, then turned away.

"Thank you." He paused at my words, nodded once and walked away. He didn't need to ask what I meant.

We went in the direction of the apartments, me faltering slightly. My feet stung, and my ribs still flared with pain when I moved. Without turning around, his hand flashed back and caught me. When I was steady, we continued. He turned a corner ahead of me. When I followed, he was gone.

Still, I felt stronger. I cleaned up at my apartment, taking a double dose of acetaminophen so that I could walk without wincing. I replaced my hair into buns.

I realized that in the dark, I hadn't seen his face. Within an hour of getting home, I couldn't honestly say whether or not I had dreamed it all.

I felt the ring in my pocket, then strung it onto a chain and fastened it around my neck, under my top. It was no dream.

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A/N- That's it for this chapter! Please review- I need motivation to write the third chapter! As I said before, I'm not doing it until I get at least two more. Come now, not so difficult!

Thank you for reading! And I'm taking requests for future fanfictions- yes, I know it's early but I like to think it out and get it outlined before I start.

Yay?


	3. Chapter 3

A/N- Sorry for messing with convention in this chapter- I know that Gaara isn't supposed to be tall, or have taijutsu, but I'm not giving him his sand in this fic so he's just going to have to deal.

The statements in this chapter do not reflect my opinions or values, simply those of the characters voicing them.

I truly do adore all of you people who bother to read my work. And all of the reviewers! You make me happy!

Enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer- Naruto is not mine. I have never owned it….shame.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**Neji POV**

My alarm blared at me- the clock read 7:00 AM. It was obviously time to get up. I wished the clock would be quiet.

"SHUT THE FUCING HELL UP, IDIOT CLOCK!" With a satisfying smash, I brought my fist down on the culprit. Silence surrounded me.

I glared angrily down at the shards of my alarm. _Great. Now I need a new one._

Hauling myself out of bed, I got into my clothes and went downstairs to collect Tenten from her room. Halfway there, I realized she didn't live here anymore. Although I really didn't care about her actual company, I missed the things I could get her to do for me.

"Wonderful", I muttered to myself, "Now I have to make my own fuking breakfast."

I quickly discarded that idea- I was incompetent in the kitchen. I left hungry. Even though I knew how volatile I was when I needed food, I didn't care. I didn't see how this was my fault. People should just deal. Whiny creatures. Especially females.

In my opinion, the world would be better off with a few less women. But no, Uncle said I have to get married.

It was absolutely ridiculous. I didn't even like her. But Uncle said that if I felt like retaining my family title, I would marry her. My name means a lot to me- Hyuugas are prestigious. I couldn't afford to lose that, it meant my future.

And now I was stuck keeping Tenten from embarrassing me. If she broke up with me, I would end up disowned and humiliated.

Even I could see that she was attractive. People noticed her.

A small voice spoke up in my head. It was an irritating thing; I could never make it shut up.

"Do you really think you can keep her from noticing other people?" I snarled at the nonexistent sound, and smashed my fist through a wall. Hoping the voice would be quiet, I gritted my teeth.

"Watch me."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**Gaara POV**

Lunchtime arrived on the second day. I took my food to my customary spot and sat alone. Glad of the reprieve from mindless classes, I relaxed.

Scenes from last night kept coming to mind. I wanted to talk to her, but it didn't look like Neji was about to let that happen.

I felt an odd protectiveness for Tenten. Although I would never admit it, she was the main reason I'd bothered to come to school today. I didn't know why I was so drawn to her- maybe her eyes. Something about her eyes told me that despite the constant presence of Neji, she was just as alone as I was.

_This is all ridiculous, _I thought ruefully. _You've never needed anybody before, no reason to start now._

Having just though that, I looked up to see Tenten and Neji pass. She was wearing black today, and more eye makeup than yesterday.

Or maybe it was just the darkness in her eyes from the same sleepless night that I had had.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Tenten POV

The second day passed more quickly than the first. I was oddly conscious of the ring I wore on the chain, and was relieved when Neji didn't notice it. As dangerous as it was, I couldn't bring myself to take it off.

I felt stronger today, holding the memory of last night within me. Now I had something that was mine, just for me and the mysterious person from last night. Neji couldn't hurt me now.

How wrong that turned out to be.

Last period came- a martial arts class. (A/N- I couldn't resist putting a little bit of ninja-ness in it.) Despite my newfound emotional strength, I wasn't looking forward to this. I was pretty good at fighting when I tried, but Neji was merciless. I couldn't even try against him; my best chance was to wait it out.

Gai stood at the head of the class, rambling about discipline and youth and flowers for an introductory speech. Some kid in the front with huge eyebrows had tears leaking out of his round eyes. Frequently, he would leap up and glomp the teacher, upon which they would both start sobbing.

"Gai-Sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Gai-Sensei!"

"Lee!"

Nobody in the class paid any attention to them. Apparently this was a regular occurrence.

Too soon, we were getting into sparring partners. Neji reached for my wrist, but the teacher spoke first.

"It seems that we have a new student today!"

The green man struck a pose, his arm outstretched with a thumbs-up. I blinked several times, momentarily blinded by his teeth.

"So who wants to be Tenten's partner?" The kid called Lee randomly broke into joyful tears again. He was largely ignored.

"I do." A strong voice at the back of the class spoke before Neji. I didn't need to turn to see who had spoken. Relief washed over me in crushing waves. I glanced sideways at the long-haired boy beside me as I stood.

Lavender eyes glared furiously at me. The last vestiges of my relief were instantly crushed- I'd never seen him look more murderous before.

"We'll….talk….about this later." His words were emotionless, but his knuckles were white. I backed away from his livid gaze, my throat frozen.

I managed to trip my way across the room to my new spot- next to Gaara. Slightly nervous, I kept my eyes down. Shaken by Neji's veiled threat, I focused on controlling my breathing.

A light touch on the back of my hand made me look up.

"You okay?" Genuine concern lit his eyes.

I nodded, managing a small smile. It was harder to worry about Neji with Gaara in front of me.

"My name is Sabaku no Gaara. Do you have any experience in martial arts?"

I suddenly remembered why I was there. I gave a small laugh, thinking of my years of training. As a child, I'd had little else to do. Besides carving, but that wasn't exercise.

"Mrhmm. You?" His smile mirrored mine now. It startled me, a flash of light on his serious face.

Other groups were practicing now, a basic move from the looks of it. Gaara's smile was gone as fast as it had appeared. His tone was disgruntled.

"You mean we have to do all this again?" He jerked a thumb back towards Gai, who was practicing with Lee. His nails were perfect, painted a dark blue.

"You know this stuff, right?" He inquired.

"Yeah. That won't be a problem."

"Good". He strode off towards the teacher, the chain on his pants clinking against metal studs in his low-slung belt. Following him, I watched Lee burst into more happy tears as we approached. Gaara had already started talking to Gai.

"Look, green man, we know this stuff. Can Tenten and I go spar for real someplace bigger?" Gai had no problems with that.

"You're such great kids! Go for it! Hear that, Lee? Isn't their youth amazing?"

"Truly inspiring! Just like you, Gai-sensei!" And they were both off again.

Gaara answered my unspoken question. "You get used to it after a while."

"Good to know."

We turned the corner.

"Come on, I know an awesome place for sparring." Out of the sight of the class, he was much livelier. He was really a likeable person.

"Come on!" he repeated, starting to run. I had to sprint to keep up with his long strides. We pounded across the grass, laughing. The wind felt good- I hadn't run like this for a long time.

We skittered to a stop at a clearing- it was hidden by a row of trees and a windowless wall, completely invisible to students.

"You ready?"

"Let's go!"

He was so fast. I jumped, but his kick still caught me on the shin. I spiraled down, springing off with my hands to keep my balance. I aimed a strike at his knees, but he caught my arm and twisted it back. I kicked back and flipped over him.

It continued that way for a while- him striking, me just barely keeping up. His style was cobra like, disconcerting. It was erratic and unpredictable; it was hard to keep track of him.

He flew at me from the side, knocking me to the ground. He landed on top of me, his hands on either side of my shoulders. A familiar scent came that I couldn't quite place. I was distracted from the bell by the proximity of his face. His skin was pale and clear, vividly contrasting the tattoo on the side of his forehead.

Then Neji walked around the corner. I heard a quick intake of breath- my own.

Gaara quickly got to his feet, helping me up. Something in Neji's face stopped me from making eye contact with Gaara as I stood. I knew what was coming, but Neji was not perfectly controlled like usual. He didn't usually show emotion like this, but his anger was obvious now. I hoped Gaara would be out of the way before Neji lost it.

"You can leave now, Sabaku." Neji's icy words were directed at Gaara. It wasn't a choice. Repressed fury burned in his tone.

Gaara backed away, keeping eye contact with me until he was gone.

Leaving me with an irate Neji. He didn't even give me a chance to explain. For nearly a minute I stood there, motionless. He was pacing, muttering to himself, working himself into a fury.

I closed my eyes.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**Gaara POV**

I was impressed by her sparring technique- she showed some interesting skills. I'd have to get her to show me some of it in greater detail later.

She was distracting to spar with- her laughing eyes glittered, her lithe body moving with perfect grace. It was mesmerizing. She was mesmerizing. I could hardly concentrate.

I finally managed to knock her down, and we paused. I was on top of her, supporting myself with hands on either side of her shoulders. I could smell the citrus scent of her shampoo, or perfume. Her body moved with heavy breathing as we stayed there. I heard a bell in the distance.

Suddenly, I wanted to bend down and kiss her. I envisioned being pressed against her, touching her smooth face, her chocolate hair.

At that precise moment, Neji showed up. I stood slowly, but anger was beginning to rise in my chest. For interrupting us, and for the way he was glaring at her. What right did he have to look at her like that? He was scaring her, I saw her tense in my peripheral vision. Why? He knew that we had only been sparring, and it was clear that it had been I who had knocked her down.

He stepped in front of her, between us. Turning his glare on me, he spoke. I didn't flinch.

"You can leave now, Sabaku." I locked eyes with TenTen, trying to see if she would be okay. From the instant of Neji's appearance, her eyes had curiously deadened.

I walked away slowly, turning inwards to my thoughts as I headed out to nowhere. Forty-five seconds later, I heard incoherent shouting from behind. A muffled cry, then more shouting. Followed by a true scream.

Tenten.

I turned and started sprinting back, cries of pain emanating from the clearing. I berated myself for leaving- he was clearly instable. I should have seen that! Why had I left them alone?

"Damn….DAMN IT!" I started yelling as I ran, pure anger overflowing. That _bastard_.

I finally made it to the clearing. I burst around the corner- the cries of pain had stopped. All I could hear was a sickening thudding and Neji's continuous string of profanity.

Tenten was curled on the ground, her clothes bloody. Her shirt was torn down one side, and dirt was forming a macabre paste with the blood that she was dripping. Neji was out of control; kicking, punching her like a demon. He had a small blade on his ring that was tearing mid-size rents in her flesh. He froze when he saw me, and attempted to collect himself. Tenten wasn't moving.

"C'mon", he muttered, nudging her with his foot. "Get up, we're leaving." He kicked her harder.

I lost it. I pounded across the dirt in his direction, catching his shirt collar and swinging him into the air by it. Slamming him against a tree, I paused for a moment. Fear dominated his face, a whimpering noise coming out of him. Unhesitatingly, I punched him full force in the face.

Letting him fall, I watched him crumple to his knees. He buried his face in his hands, still whimpering. Blood escaped his fingers- this pleased me. I would have liked to hit him again, but he scuttled away before I could move again. Stumbling to his feet, he booked it out of the clearing. He didn't look back once.

I turned to Tenten- she wasn't moving. Blood oozed steadily out of a cut on the side of her head, and her eyes were closed.

I considered the options. The school was shut down for the day, and there wasn't any first aid there anyways. Not for people like me, or people with me. She didn't look quite bad enough for the hospital, but she needed to be looked at. Especially if she didn't wake up. What if she didn't wake up?

I took a deep breath. Temari was a nurse, she could take a look when she got home. I'd just need to clean her up a bit. _She'll probably want to go home,_ I mused, _but I don't know which unit she's in, and she shouldn't be left alone now anyways._

Having reached my decision, I carefully scooped her up and walked back to my unit. Temari and Kankurou were still out. I let myself in, then set her on my bed. She was starting to come to.

"Neji?" She sounded scared. Scared wasn't the right word- she sounded broken. How many times had this happened?

"No. It's me. Gaara. You're at my house, you need cleaning up. Stay still for a bit, I'll be back in ten seconds."

"Mmkay." Her voice shook slightly.

Quickly, I relocated the portrait of her to the drawer. We'd only officially met today, no need for her to think I was a stalker. I don't think she recognized me from last night.

Grabbing my first-aid kit, I reentered the room. Worried, I sat at the edge of the bed. The cut on her head was still bleeding….Temari would be home soon. I'd never forgive myself for leaving.

Her shirt was torn down the left side, exposing several swollen, bruised ribs. They looked awful, as though they had healed wrong and then been smashed again. How had she sparred? I started with the most obvious cuts, dabbing them with antiseptic and cleaning them. She winced often, squeezing my hand at the sting.

I finished quickly, trying to be gentle. Her clothing really was mangled, and I was having a hard time ignoring the perfectly muscled contours of her body.

She sat up, cringing slightly.

"It's not as bad as it looks- I'll be okay." She tried to stand.

"You're not going anywhere until I've had Temari take a look at that wound on your head and those ribs." Her escape foiled, she resigned herself to sticking around. Actually, she didn't look that disappointed.

"Okay, I'll stay." Her voice sounded tired, but straining against something. She shut her eyes quite tightly, but liquid still flowed past her lids. I knew exactly how that felt- the broken, helpless emotion. When you see no point in crying, but can't help it and cry all the harder at how pathetic that was. She shuddered, more tears escaping.

"Hey, hey. Don't." I murmured, taking her into my arms. Wide eyes flashed to meet mine, and I realized that I had said much the same thing last night. Her eyes shut again as she tried to suppress more tears, but she remembered. She shook violently.

"It's going to be okay", I said quietly. I wasn't merely trying to soothe her, I was making a promise. "I'm not going to let him hurt you again."

She quietened a bit. I could see her exhaustion, and lowered her back down onto my bed. As her eyelids fell once more, she feebly protested.

"Where're you gonna sleep?"

"I'm not going to sleep." She accepted that, and momentarily fell silent. I brushed a piece of hair out of her face, and caught and errant tear.

"Please don't tell anybody….about…Neji." She had a hard time saying his name. Nodding, I stood. Even though she was reacting well to my presence, nobody would want to sleep anywhere near where I was. Too many stories about the 'babies I'd murdered.' Nonsense, but people believed what they would. I started to leave.

"Don't go." Her face was exhausted, but her eyes touched mine. I stayed, my hand remaining caught in hers.

Her body relaxed. She was cute while she slept, even battered as she was.

I was going to make that bastard pay.

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A/N- I'm sorry, I know that chapter was really long. Yay for finishing chapter 3! I have decided that sleep is unnecessary so long as you have enough coffee- I write better late at night. It gets kind of funny the next day at school. Shelly knows what I mean. Thank you all SO MUCH for reviewing! I'm trying to get twelve total before I post chapter four. This is awesome! You have no idea how happy if makes me that you guys bother to read my story!

Reviews make me feel warm and fuzzy!

Li-li


	4. Chapter 4

A/N- Hey peoples. I'm really terribly sorry for the delay; I have a lot to do and not a lot of time to write. However, no more excuses! Chapter four is here! For the purposes of the story, let us all assume Temari is a medical magician. Enjoy the chapter, and invest thirty seconds in my sanity by posting a review….pretty please with a cherry on top?

Enough babble- on with the story!

disclaimer-I do not own Naruto. Since when did you think that?

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Temari POV

Kankurou and I stumbled home very late- or should I say early. Demon brother #1 (the elder) had been drinking, so it was interesting trying to pry him off Kiba and tow him home.

Darkness filled the unit as I unlocked the door. Weird- Gaara's room was dark too. Why wasn't he still up painting? Even though I was his sister, I had never known Gaara to sleep.

Kankurou passed out on the couch. I left him there.

Worried, I crept down the hall to Gaara's room. The door was closed, and it was silent. He usually kept music running all night…

I opened the door to one of the strangest sights of my life.

A dark-haired girl with a wound on her head was asleep on top of his bed, her hand caught in Gaara's. He was on the bed too, curled up beside her.

Gaara was asleep.

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Tenten POV

I woke with a jerk, then fell back in pain. My ribs wouldn't let me move like that anymore.

Hang on- since when was my room painted black with red curtains?

The truth came crashing on me about the same time as a headache. Gaara stirred beside me- I had woken him.

"What time is it?" I asked groggily. I was going to have to go back to my apartment and change for school.

"9:15."

"What? School started an hour ago! Neji will be looking for me…"

He raised an eyebrow at that.

"After what happened yesterday, you care?" he sounded incredulous and disappointed.

"It's just….he'll be mad…" my stomach clenched at the thought, and I looked down. Gaara noticed, and tightened his grip on my hand. This helped a bit.

"I meant what I said last night- I'm not going to let him hurt you anymore." He leaned in, trying to make me believe him with his eyes.

I believed. Satisfied, he sat up and stretched. Rising, he went to the closet to find a shirt. He was still wearing the black pants from yesterday.

"So what do you want to do today?" he inquired. "No point in going to school now- best class is over."

He was right- we had Art first period, which had ended fifteen minutes ago. Damn.

I tried to get up, then fell back as a searing bolt of pain assaulted my head.

Gaara was there in an instant, lowering me back down.

"Temari!" he yelled anxiously, inadvertently causing another stab of pain.

A tall, dark blonde girl entered- presumably his sister. She was beautiful, and looked rather intimidatingly strong.

"What's this?" she queried, checking the cut on my head immediately.

"I think there's something wrong with her ribs, too" he added. Thankfully, Temari didn't ask questions.

"Gaara-out." She commanded forcefully, opening the door. "I don't need you hovering while I clean her up. Go play with your brother."

Gaara hesitated, his eyes still on me.

"NOW!" he left. There was no arguing with a scream like that.

I looked at her questioningly, and with more than a little apprehension as she pulled out a white medical box and washed her hands.

"It's okay, I'm a nurse. I know what I'm doing." She assured. It was hard not to trust this confident, assertive woman.

I let her get to work- she talked to distract me.

"So you're a friend of Gaara's?" I considered that for a moment, trying to sum up our relationship. After a moment, I gave up looking for words.

"A friend. Yeah. " I replied.

"That's great. I've never seen him take to anyone like this, he usually avoids people" she said, beaming. She was truly happy.

Several minutes later, she finished whatever she was doing and had me take a pill.

"You can get up now. Just tell me if you feel dizzy, and don't go anywhere alone for the next couple of hours. You'll need some new clothes…" her eyes lit with excitement at that.

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Gaara POV

"NOW!" I walked out of the room, having no desire to have something thrown at me. She was _so_ bossy.

Wandering into the living room, I went to sit across from Kankurou. He sat up with a grin as I entered.

"I heard you got yourself a girl in there, little bro. I'm proud" he laughed.

"It's not like that", I muttered. I generally tried to avoid thinking in _that_ direction with Tenten, I tended to get overly emotional. One thing at a time.

"Whatever. Does this mean we can coerce you into hanging out with the group now? Bring her along- everyone's been dying to meet you." He was encouraging.

"I don't know", My siblings had been trying for years to get me to hang out with them and their friends. I had never gone.

"Come on…I bet she needs friends too." He had a point, and it wasn't right to keep her to myself forever.

"Only if she wants to." I conceded.

"Excellent!" Damn. I was committed now.

Tenten came out of my room, wearing some of Temari's clothes. They fit her well, and a piece of her hair covered the mark on her head. She wasn't even limping- Temari was a miracle worker.

"Why don't you two go do something today? Get away from the school for a bit." Temari suggested hopefully. She was way too happy about this. Still, it was a good idea.

"Sounds good." I tried to keep the sudden surge of excitement out of my voice. I turned to Tenten, who had moved to stand beside me. "You up for it?"

"Yeah!" her face was lit with a look I hadn't seen since our sparring match.

Down the hall and out the doors, we made it to the street in time to catch the city bus into town. I took her hand as we ran for the bus- it felt natural. Checking her reaction, I saw her smile at me breathlessly as we ran.

Once on the bus, I internally cheered as the school vanished behind us. Ever since I met Tenten, I'd been having these crazy mood swings. Twenty minutes ago, I had been worried, then happy, then embarrassed, now exultant. It was as though everything had been black and white before, constantly bored, apathetic, lifeless. I lived in color now.

"So, where are we going?" she asked. She looked as excited as I was.

"Ah…" I hadn't gotten that far yet. "We could go out to lunch a bit later." I was impressed with myself- I had formed a coherent sentence over the screaming hormones in my body.

"Okey-dokies!" she sang.

"Okey-dokies?" I asked.

"Why not?"

"Good point." I said, laughing again.

"Until lunch, though there's an art show at the museum I've wanted to see. Are you into that kind of thing?" she asked, unsure.

"YES! Who's show is it?" Art fascinated me, but maybe that had been a bit loud. She showed no sign that I had just yelled.

"Lots of different stuff, but they're featuring a new artist called Sasori. Puppet statues, I think."

"Weird!" We continued like that for the rest of the bus ride. It was ridiculously easy to talk to her.

The art show was alright- the pieces weren't engaging enough to keep my eyes away from the animated girl beside me. I watched as her face changed with each new piece we examined, reacting to the art.

I'd have to thank Temari later- the clothes she'd dressed Tenten in looked amazing. A long, blood-red shirt fit close to her body, the kanji for love splashed across the front in black. She wore a black skirt with it. Her hair was in buns, but pieces in the front hung down to hide her wound.

It was past one by the time we left for lunch.

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Tenten POV

We went to a tiny café for lunch, sitting across from each other in a booth. We had finished eating, and were chatting as I polished off my coffee.

"So I guess we can't skip school again tomorrow…" I said reluctantly.

"Yeah" he agreed. "Oh- Temari and Kankurou want us to go hang out with the and their group at lunch and before school. You mind?" he looked hopeful.

"Nah, that's cool." I finished my coffee and stood. I reached to pay, but he stopped me.

"I got it." He paid, and we left. His arm ended up wrapped around my waist as we walked. Oddly, I found that I didn't mind.

It took us ages to get back to school, as there wasn't a bus going back. Conversation dropped off, and we walked in comfortable silence.

He led me through the people at school- the bell had just rung.

When we arrived at the edge of the forest, he turned to face me. We were out of sight of the school, the dorms, everybody.

He touched a slender finger to my lips and looked into my eyes, his dark-rimmed ones silently asking. As an answer, I moved closer to him, into him.

And he kissed me, his lips gentle yet firm against mine. Feeling my instant response, he placed a hand in the small of my back and pulled me closer. I kissed back, one hand in his red hair. It was thrilling, forbidden, amazing, perfect. His tongue nudged my lips, and I parted them.

In that moment, there was no pain, no fear, no Neji, no memories. Just Gaara.

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A/N- Yay! I've been dying to get to that part….just so you guys know, this fanfiction is nowhere NEAR close to ending.

For anybody out there who's a band geek like me, there's an anime and manga series called La Corda D'Oro. It's shoujo, with good art and lots of intensely hot bishies! That play instruments! Sorry, I know that was random, but I had to share my new discovery.

Chapter five out when I finish it! And please, for the love of chibi Gaara, review! It makes my heart smile!

Li-li


	5. Chapter 5

A/N- Voila! Chapter 5! Warning- there is some mild yaoi in this chapter, and in chapters to come. I apologize for just telling you now, although it could be ascertained from the summary if you look at the character pairings. I ask that I not be flamed for that, as I am telling you before you read.

Thank you to all of my reviewers! This story would not exist without you. Rather, I wouldn't bother to make it exist without you. Keep it up!

For the record, all of you people who read this are awesome.

Disclaimer- I do not own Naruto.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Tenten POV

I dressed in the morning with a strange urgency. Painfully torn between excitement at seeing Gaara again and dread at the possibility of Neji, it felt like my veins were burning. I had to stop and repack my bag twice before I was ready to leave.

As I attempted to shove my feet into shoes, a sharp knock sounded at my door. Hopping to open it, my stomach twisted in a bizarre mix of anticipation and anxiety.

Motionless, Gaara stood in the hallway. The sight of his dark eyes looking shyly down still caught my breath. I could see his siblings at the end of the corridor, waiting for us. He relieved me of my stack of textbooks while I tied my other shoe. I noticed a steady drip of blood running onto his hand from his sleeve.

"Oy! Sometime today!" called Temari.

"Yeah, yeah." Gaara muttered as we jogged down the hall to meet them.

"So? Ready to meet the gang?" asked Kankurou as we stepped out the double doors into the morning. Gaara rolled his eyes, then froze.

Neji walked stiffly towards us, glaring with full intensity. Instinctively, I moved closer to Gaara.

"Yes?" Kankurou acknowledged, eyebrows raised. "You want something?"

Neji's eyes narrowed as he took in the scene. "A word with Tenten. Now."

I could feel Gaara tense beside me, but I knew what needed to be done. Stepping away from Gaara, I followed Neji a short distance away. I examined his face as we walked. Fuming, as usual, but there was another emotion mixed in with the anger. Fear? I decided I really didn't care.

"Look, Neji, maybe I wasn't clear enough before. I would tell you 'it's over' but there's nothing to end. I want you to stay away from me, and that's it." I was struggling to be firm.

"That's not an option. You are to stay away from that-", he jerked his head towards Gaara, "-_thing!_". He was hissing now, a bad sign.

"No."

"As your fiancé, I"

"You are not my fiancé!" I was angry now too. I had put up with this too long. Then again, I had never had anything better to fight for before.

"Tenten…" I could see his right hand twitching, but Gaara was approaching us now.

"You are nothing to me anymore. You never were." I whispered, letting the hatred from years of suffering him saturate my tone. His eyes were angry, but there was no trace of hurt. It was impossible to damage a stone.

Lavender eyes flashing, he grabbed my shoulder. He drew back his other hand. I started to cringe, then changed my mind.

So I swung around and slammed my fist into his face.

Gaara reached us then and I walked away with him. He seemed to be suppressing laughter.

"Something funny?" I said acidly. I was experiencing fury, relief and triumph at the same time. It was making my brain hurt.

"Nevermind." We had caught up with Temari and Kankurou, and were approaching a group of students lounging by the fountain. A large group of students. I recognized maybe two. Kankurou herded us into the circle and started introductions.

"Alright, people! Shut up for a minute. And Lee, stop sobbing. We brought the long-awaited little brother! Also known as Gaara!" Everyone burst into a round of applause. Odd.

"And his girlfriend, Tenten." chirped Temari. I flinched slightly at the word 'girlfriend', but Gaara didn't seem to mind.

Kankurou went around the circle, rattling off names as he went.

"Naruto." An orange-haired boy with a Permagrin.

"Lee." The joyously tearful green child from Martial Arts.

"Shino and Hinata." Both wore sunglasses, and they were holding hands.

"Sasuke." A silent boy with eyeliner and peculiar hair. He was watching Temari.

"Haku and Zabuza." A giant with cowhide legwarmers held a lipstick-ed boy in his lap.

"Kin." A short girl with floor-length hair.

"and Kisame." He was blue. Literally. What the hell?

As purely odd as these people seemed to be, they were certaintly interesting. For the next ten minutes, Gaara and Sasuke argued with Haku and I about the merits of hair gel. Gaara liked to use it in artwork, Sasuke worshipped it and carried it with him everywhere. Haku despised the texture, and I was confounded as to why we were talking about hair gel in the first place.

"But it makes your hair shiny!" protested Sasuke.

"My hair's _already_ shiny! Right, Zabu-kun?" Haku exclaimed.

Zabuza leaned down and kissed Haku's hair, then started working his way down the other boy's neck. Ignoring them, Temari bounded over and engaged Sasuke in conversation as I got Gaara to explain to me how _hair gel _could be used in artwork.

I didn't want the bell to ring.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Neji POV

I was not happy.

It had taken an extraordinary amount of makeup to conceal the black eye that Gaara had given me, and now Tenten was completely out of my control. She had just hit me. Bloody fuing hell.

There she was, standing in a group of freaks with Gaara. Typical. I knew that I needed to get into that group, if only to keep an eye on the situation. What else could I do?

The last time she was too far out of my watch, the solution had been relatively simple. She was away with her parents too much, so I waited until she had left the house. Then I locked her parents in their attic and lit the place on fire. Done.

It wouldn't be so easy this time.

Scanning the group, I noticed a hyperactive blonde boy who was kind of cute. Definitely and idiot, but a cute idiot. Perfect.

Angling my course towards the group, I 'accidentally' tripped and dropped my books. Too soon. Nobody noticed, so now I was picking them up alone. Brilliant.

Flustered, I tried a new strategy. Sauntering nearer to him, I waited until I caught his eye, then held it. Determined, I gave him my most alluring smile. (not something I used often.)

Bingo. He leaped over and started talking. Cringing slightly at the intense volume and speed, I tried to keep up.

"HIYA! I'm Naruto Uzumaki! You're cool! I like you! What's your name?"

"I am Neji, Naruto-san. Neji Hyuuga." I was going for the 'sexily mysterious' angle. It appeared to be working.

"NICE TA MEETCHA!!!" he yelled, glomping me. Before I'd blinked twice, I had been towed into the group of strange people.

"This is Neji!" he emphatically stated.

"Hi, Neji!" they chimed back in unison. Gaara was attempting to force me into spontaneous combustion with his eyes. I smirked back to infuriate him more. He couldn't say anything, who would believe him? I was an honours student, respected, and a damned sight more believable than him.

I didn't have Tenten back yet, but at least I could stick around. It would do.

But only until I devised a plan to kill Gaara.

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A/N- that's it for chapter 5! Please review, it takes thirty seconds! You see the button…it is calling to you…Cookies and gold star stickers to all of you, you rock!

-Li-li.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N- I know, I know, the update took FOREVER. So sorry! I'll try to keep up my old frequency again, but it's a hard time right now. I'll try harder! Read and please review, it makes my heart smile and doesn't at all hurt the updating speed. And sorry to all Iruka fans out there. And Itachi fans. And Neji fans, for that matter….I'll be nicer to him next story. Promise.

Love you all,

Li-li

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Gaara's POV

To my intense astonishment, I found that I was actually enjoying school. The teachers and classes were as dismal as ever, but I had friends now. Friends! (Totally new concept to me.)

Sasuke was now one of my favorite people He didn't talk much, but he was good at listening and understanding. It was testimony to our friendship that he had recently started dating my older sister and I didn't care.

Neji was a constant annoyance. As part of the group, he was always around. And Tenten could never truly relax when that jerk was in sight. Thanks to his new 'bond' with Naruto, I couldn't make the guy leave.

And Tenten. Late at night, we would meet in the hallway and go to my room. Insomnia was apparently contagious. We would stay up for hours, talking, working on art, planning. Sometimes we would sit on my bed perfectly still and say nothing, lost in silent communication until we fell asleep.

Never had I met anyone so interesting, intricate, profound. She was graceful, spunky, beautiful and she wanted to be with me. Even now, as we walked home from class, she looked happy. An accomplishment, considering how mean Iruka was to her in class today. There was someone that needed to be fired…

My thought train was rather abruptly cut off by her kiss. I loved how she would do that totally randomly.

"Mm." I worked one hand into her hair and pressed the other into her back, pulling her in. She lifted one of her legs, so I picked her up and walked away. We were still lost in the kiss.

Unfortunately, my eyes were still closed and I walked us into Temari. Losing my balance, I twisted as we fell so she wouldn't hit the ground. I rolled so that I was on top, still kissing her. It was a miracle we still had all our teeth.

"Easy there, kids." Temari laughed. In the moment, I had totally forgotten her presence. Standing up, I helped Tenten to her feet.

"Right." I mumbled, heat rising in my face.

Tenten jokingly raised her eyebrows at Temari. "Because you're one to talk."

"At least Sasuke doesn't forget how to walk. It can be an amazingly useful skill."

"Highly overrated. That was kind of fun," I stated, laughing now too.

Tenten giggled. "I actually should be leaving. I'm staying at Hinata's tonight."

"Without me?" I feigned shock. I actually was disappointed. I had been counting on her being there to distract me tonight.

"We can go out to breakfast after I get back- I'll be at your place at four."

"AM?"

She leaned in closer, speaking into my ear. "Hell yes."

"It'd better be waffles."

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Hinata's POV

**Tong-eeng!**

"One of these days, I swear I'm getting a different doorbell." I muttered as I went to the door.

**Tong-eeng!**

I composed myself before I opened the door. Touching the stem of the sunglasses Shino gave me, I switched them to blackout. More stylish. I always felt more self-conscious about my looks when I was next to Tenten. She had this natural prettiness that was really hard to compete with.

"Hey, Hinata!" Tenten cried as she bounced on my doormat.

"Er…c-come in." She was practically wriggling. "What's the matter with you?" I asked, starting to giggle.

"COOKIES!"

"We haven't even made them yet." I let her in.

"All the more reason to start!" She was already in my kitchen, measuring flour. We did this every week.

I pulled out the sugar and baking powder, thinking. "You know what we should do?" I had been struck by an idea.

"Yeah?"

"We-ell, the school Christmas dance is coming up. I thought that maybe all of the girls could go dress shopping. We'll need formals…"

"By all of the girls, you mean…" Tenten prompted.

"You, me, Temari, Kin…and Haku."

"Awesome! Next Friday? We can go into Sunagakure, Temari was talking about a dress shop she used to love.

"Yeah…I'll call them."

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Gaara's POV

I glared at my digital clock, the only light in my room. 2:36 AM. As glad as I was that Tenten was spending time with other girls, I wished she was here right now.

My knife lay open on my pillow, directly in front of me. The blade glinted with the light from the clock.

It had been nearly a week since the last time. I could feel the sting already, the energy release, the blood-high.

It was a habit that I had picked up years ago, out of anger at my own loneliness. I wasn't alone anymore, but I was addicted.

Searching desperately for a distraction from my craving, I got up and paced the room. I was going to stop this. I had to stop.

2:37. Damn it. Bloody hell…

Picking up the knife, I walked to the sink. I pressed the blade into the skin of my upper arm, welcoming the glorious, searing white pain. The tension was pouring out of my arm with the blood. It ran down my arm, dripping off my wrist into the sink.

I let it bleed for a bit, then rinsed out the sink and cleaned the cut. The high was already starting to wear off, and what I'd done was sinking in.

2:44.

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Neji's POV

I opened the door of my house, letting in the older boy. All part of my plan.

"Welcome, Itachi." I escorted him into my study. After weeks of tracking this wanted criminal down, I could hardly believe I finally had a chance. A chance at pulling off my plan, which was about to become conspiracy.

He raised his eyes and spoke. "You know were Sukase is?"

"Yes. He goes by Sasuke, now." After Itachi had killed nearly all of the Uchihas, the second to last one was given a new identity for protection.

"Why are you telling me this?" Naturally, he looked suspicious.

"You're not the only one who wants someone dead." I handed him the notebook with details of my plan. "Do what you want with Sasuke, but these two," I circled two profiles in the notebook, "need to end up dead. Preferably in the next month."

Itachi was smiling now as he flipped through my book. "Clever, very clever. Does it matter what I do so long as they end up dead?"

"Not at all. Be as creative as you like. But I really do need this done soon."

"Of course. I'll need to get my partner in on this one."

"Partner?" I hadn't counted on extra people.

"Deidara. He's trustworthy, and he has the…facilities I'll need."

"Very well."

Itachi got up, and left. I logged onto my computer, smiling. He was exactly the twisted mind that I wanted.

This was going to be fun.

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A/N- thanks for reading! Review! You have no idea how happy reviews make me! I'll try to get the next chapter up soon.

Did I mention that you deserve a shiny object?

- Li-li


	7. Chapter 7

A/N – Okay. I know this is supposed to be a high school fic, but don't expect too many classroom scenes. They're kind of boring, and far too much effort to fit in. See the note at the bottom for my proposed plan for the next fic. (Don't worry, I'll finish this one first.) Oh, and POV hopping will be separated with a line of ///// instead of a normal line, because I can't fix details like that in edit/preview right now. So I apologize for any mistakes!

Enjoy, and leave lots of reviewsies!

Li-li

List of awesome people (my awesome repeat reviewers)- Lyris88 –you ROCK!

xTxNxLx

MissTenTenChan

I wish I could recognize you all- more with the next chapter!

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Tenten POV

I practically ran out of my last-block English class. Iruka had been absolutely ruthless, even though I'd done the work. He tended to be nicer to the people that were more conventional, and didn't wear black with piercings. Gaara and I had actually planned to study in the library that period, but Iruka had let him go but made me stay. Joy.

I didn't actually work in class, I had done all of the work anyways. It was too easy to be of any interest. I spent most of the time worrying.

Worrying about Gaara. He had been really down when I had showed up at his place the night before, at four in the morning as planned. He was shaky and seemed hurt. When he didn't volunteer information about what was bothering him, I left it. He did brighten up after we worked on a painting we were sharing, but I still worry.

I ran to the courtyard, jumping to a stop in the middle of our group. Everyone was there as usual, and they all looked exceptionally bored. Although Naruto was missing, and Neji. That wasn't strange, they often left without saying anything these days.

After I had finished kissing Gaara, I eyed the lake to the west. So what if it was December? I was bored, and nobody had anything better to do.

"Hey…who wants to go swimming?"

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Shino POV

We all went home to get swimsuits and towels, then met up at the lake half an hour later. I was entirely unsure about this- it was freaking December! The puddles on the ground were frozen. But Sasuke had his video recorder, and Kin was taking pictures with her digital camera. Everyone was there except Neji and Naruto. Making memories for the future. That's what I kept telling myself, anyways.

Pulling off my shirt, I flinched at the wave of icy air. You know it's cold out when the only bugs you can see are snow lice on the trees.

I tried to smile reassuringly at Hinata, which must have failed miserably. My face wasn't made for it, and I didn't believe myself anyways. Still, she managed a tiny smile back. I couldn't tell if she was shivering from the cold or nervousness. She was wearing a dark purple two-piece swimsuit with a skirted bottom and halter bikini top. My perfect, shy little butterfly. And a sexy one at that.

We all silently lined up on the end of the dock. The wood was frozen, slippery under my bare feet. Sasuke was filming the moment.

"HIIIII-YAAA!" hollered Kisame, leaping in first.

"Hi-ya?" quoted Temari skeptically.

"Come on, people, it's not that bad!" coaxed Kisame. It was hard to believe him when his skin was turning blue. Or had it always been like that?

Bracing myself, I jumped. Everything went silent as I sliced through the water, my skin screaming in shock. I broke the surface gasping. Thrashing, I treaded water frantically to keep my heart from stalling. Holy &$# was it cold!

Everyone else was in now too. We were all swimming for shore- I could feel my muscles seizing up with the cold.

Scrambling on shore, I started to laugh with sheer adrenaline. This was what life was about.

Then I noticed something was very wrong.

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Hinata POV

Everyone jumped in once Kisame and Shino were swimming. He wore his glasses into the water. I think they're permanently affixed onto his face. I carefully put mine on my towel so I didn't lose them.

Before anyone noticed I was the last one on the dock, I slid in. How bad could it be? It was only ten feet deep where we were.

Light vanished as the water went over my head. I pushed away from the dock, ignoring the shock that was gripping my limbs. My arms and legs went numb and the muscles locked- I couldn't move them at all.

And I was still underwater.

I couldn't fight, couldn't scream, couldn't do anything except watch the surface disappear.

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Shino POV

I looked around at the laughing people on the beach around me. There weren't enough of them.

"HINATA!" I screamed hoarsely. Everyone fell silent and simultaneously did a head count. The lack of noise was heavy, pressing on everyone.

"Oh, God.", breathed Temari. Sasuke put a hand on her shoulder, horror dominating his own face.

I sprinted back into the water, cursing the resistance that pushed me backwards. I dived under and forced my eyes open, scanning. _Not her. Hinata. My butterfly_. I kicked harder, trying to see through the darkness to the bottom. It wasn't that deep…

There! A shadow. My lungs needed oxygen, and I really didn't care. I pulled her limp form off the sandy bottom, struggling upwards. She wasn't moving when I broke the surface.

It seemed like years before we reached the shore. I carried her onto a towel that Tenten had spread on the sand. Hinata still wasn't breathing.

"No…come on…Hinata, wake up, I need you." I muttered as I pumped the water from her lungs with my hands. Placing my mouth on her small one, I forced air into her. Two deep breaths, then I resumed chest compressions. 1,2,3,4…(A/N- Do not rely on these numbers for actual CPR! I don't know if this is right or not.) On the second set compressions, she choked back, breathing on her own.

I fell to my knees beside her. "Thank God…" I breathed.

Somebody tugged on my arm. "Come on, Shino, we need to get you two dried off." Silently, I hooked an arm under her knees and held her back with my other arm. Carrying her, I followed the others. She was so tiny, vulnerable.

Her eyes opened. She was shaking in my arms, but breathing evenly.

"Shino?"

"I'm here. We're going home now."

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Itachi POV

Deidara stared at me incredulously from across the room. I could tell he didn't like the plan. Dei was always a bit squeamish when it came to true cruelty. He definitely wasn't cut out for this life, but it was too early for me to kill him.

"I thought the idea was for you to kill Sasuke and be done with it, un." , he said. I could understand his confusion, it was a delicate point.

"If that was the idea, I would have done it years ago. No, we're going to break him down first." I smiled at the thought if my plans for tomorrow.

"Did you fix the extra monitor?"

"Yes, it's online now, un." He was playing with his hair, a sign of stress.

"I'll stay here. I need to find a way in, and the other information I'll need for my plan. Neji-san was kind enough to plant the cameras for us, we may as well use them." I giggled.

"Neji-san…" he echoed, trailing off.

I pushed my swivel chair over to the monitors, bringing up Sasuke's screen. He had the girl in his house again- he appeared to be making hot chocolate. They were both wet.

Without looking up, I spoke.

"Deidara." Silence. He was entirely lost in thought.

"Deidara…" I turned around.

"DEIDARA!"

"What, un?" he was irritated now. Bwa.

"You have the hideout ready for tomorrow?"

"Yeah, un."

"Even the blackout room?"

"Itachi….", I glared at him. "Yes, un."

"Good."

"And…Itachi?" he ventured.

"What?" I snapped. I was finished talking, it was time for him to shut up.

"Why are you doing this so…elaborately?"

I glanced up to the monitor that watched Tenten's bedroom. She was changing out of wet clothes, her back to the camera. Sasuke's monitor showed him brushing Temari's wet hair.

"You got anything better to do?"

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Sasuke POV

Temari sat on my desk chair facing away from me, letting me pull the knots out of her hair. It hung in front of me, still dripping from the lake.

We were both shocked from what had happened with Hinata. Both she and Shino were so quiet, it was easy to forget about them. But when we came that close to losing Hinata, everyone realized how close our group was.

The phone rang. "Hello?" I could hardy understand the noise coming out of it. Then I recognized the voice.

"Naruto, calm down. What happened?"

Agitated, he spilled out the story to me. It was ten minutes before he was calm enough to get off the phone and I could turn back to Temari. She had pulled her hair into four ponytails, and faced me now.

"What's with him?" As harsh as she could be, she always had true concern for anyone in distress. Her ability to sympathize was one of my favourite things about her.

"He found Neji kissing someone else. They're broken up now."

"No…who was Neji with?" We both felt Naruto's pain- he had fallen hard for Neji.

"Some blonde guy with really long hair. Older, about nineteen." I stated.

"That bastard.", she growled. I totally agreed with her. How could someone do that to Naruto? I had never liked Neji, but this was a new low.

Temari looked at the clock, then stood. "I have to go cook for the elder demon brother now- Gaara is at Tenten's. I'll see you tomorrow- it's the dance.

I had totally forgotten about the dance. I'd have to ask Kankurou if he had anything I could wear. I possessed no nice clothes at all.

"I'll be there at seven?" I offered.

"Sure." She gave me what I'm sure was supposed to be a quick kiss, but I stopped her with a hand on her back and prolonged it. After several minutes, she said she really did have to leave.

And I watched my favorite person walk out of my door.

A/N- Thanks for reading! I have a plot idea that will especially appeal to band geeks (for the next fic). Here it is- Naruto (of course). A couple of pairings. Everybody is in this high school band, and they go on a band trip! I want suggestions as to a) who plays what instrument and b) what pairings you guys want to read. I'll figure the rest out for myself. And sorry, I don't write yuri. But suggestions! Please!

hands out imaginary chocolates to everyone who leaves reviews and suggestions.

I LUB JOO ALL!

Li-li


	8. Chapter 8

A/N – I updated- it's a miracle

A/N – I updated- it's a miracle! Sorry for the inhumanely long wait, guys But, it's back up and running now, and I'm going to try and finish it before Christmas! (even better, within a month) Love you all, and thanks for sticking around. Enjoy, and please leave a review!

3, Li-li

/

Tenten POV

The echo of the huge courtyard clock rang through my room, chiming out six o'clock. I checked the mirror one last time as I stood, my straightened hair swinging about my shoulders. I was secretly pleased with the new dress I'd gotten for the dance.

A small green light blinked from the corner of my vision. I swung around, but it was gone. Just my bed against the wall, as always. Odd.

Sensing Gaara's soft footsteps approaching, I turned. He was a bit early, but he looked magnificent. No, magnificent was the wrong word. He was dead sexy.

I was addicted to him, the eyeliner and sultry walk and bloodred hair. Putting my hand on his arm, I was a little hurt to see him jerk away. Then he spun around, and I knew he had spotted the same green flash that I had. He stepped around me to the wall, his dark-rimmed eyes troubled.

He put his fist through the wall.

Startled, I pulled back before noticing a bunch of wires that shouldn't be there. Gaara pulled one, popping a tiny camera out from where it had been embedded in the drywall.

"Someone's been watching you."

My mind was racing. Neji? But why….it made no sense.

A drop of blood slid onto Gaara's hand, probably from punching the wall. "You're hurt- let me help you with that."

"It's nothing, I'm fine.", he stated quickly. "Don't be ridiculous, here-" I stripped off his black, elbow-high sleeve/ arm warmer. A three-inch slash was dripping down his wrist, and there was more. Wide, silver scars covered the entire surface of his arm. Fresher, pink marks and a few scabs stood out. A small, wrapped razor blade was taped to the inside of his wrist, and I slid off the other sleeve. His left arm was the same.

Neither of us spoke. Shocked, I sank to the floor. He knelt beside me, taking my hands and looking into my eyes.

"It's nothing."

Tears filled my eyes as I lightly stroked one of the silver scars. I could only manage one word. "Why?"

"Sweetie, I'm fine. I'm happy. I'm just…..I'm sick, that's all. I can't stop.", he stood up and turned towards the door, away from me. "I'm so sorry."

"Where are you going?" Worry and shock were boiling inside of me, and I couldn't make sense of anything.

"Home. I'm sorry it had to end this way. I…I really do love you, Tenten. Goodbye." He started to walk away.

Scared now, I followed him. "What are you talking about, 'goodbye'?! I love you, too. Don't leave." a tear escaped me, sliding down my cheek. "Don't go."

Spinning around, he took my face in his hand. His thumb caught my tear. "You still want me? Even-…" he trailed off, unable to finish his sentence. I had to resist the urge to slap him. "Of course I do." I brought his arm to my lips, kissing the largest of the scars. "You think that, because of this, I wouldn't want you anymore? That's crazy. I will do anything to help you stop this, because I want you to be happy. More than anything. As long as you want me, I'll be here."

Smiling, he touched the razor taped to his arm. It was wrapped in a tissue, but I could see the stained edge glinting on one side. Pulling it off, he carefully pressed it into my palm.

"Can you get rid of it for me? I don't know if I can."

"Anything, of course." I slid it into my pocket, resolving to drop it into the river. Selecting a piece of gauze and a bandage from the shelf, I pulled Gaara onto my bed and proceeded to clean the open cuts on his arms.

When I finished, he put an arm around me and playfully poked my nose. "We're late, I can already hear music." He was right, strains of Korn drifted through the window. Darkness was setting into the night, and I could feel excitement back in my stomach.

"Then let's go!"

/

Itachi POV

At the operation site, I went over the plan one last time. Targets in place, vehicles, switches, cameras, all good. Except that one….Tenten's room. Shame. Ah, well, we didn't need that one anymore anyways. Although she had been exceptionally fun to spy on. Hmm….Ideas were sparking in my mind. I was really going to have fun with this job.

/

Gaara POV

Strobe lights flashed, music blasted, and I could feel Tenten's slender form dancing in front of me. Sasuke and Temari were maybe five feet away, and Shino and Hinata were doing the Jitterbug to heavy metal. Typical. Still, it was nice to forget everything and just have fun with my friends. I felt like I was missing something, but couldn't recall and decided to worry about it later. Nothing could ruin tonight.

Neji was nowhere to be found, and Naruto seemed to be having fun with Kakashi. Wait- wasn't that a teacher? Huh.

Suddenly, I was dead.

No, that couldn't be it, I was still breathing. The music had stopped, and the light's were out. Just the power. Somebody pushed into me, knocking me away from Tenten and to the ground. A slow roar gathered as people thundered for the exits, and more than a few people stepped on me. Sitting up, a felt a sharp blow to the side of my head as somebody tripped over me. Tenten wasn't beside me anymore….where was she? I tried to reach for her, but darkness clouded my vision and I fell back to the floor.

/

A/N- and that's it for Chapter Eight! Thanks for reading, people, and I'll try and make the next chapter a little longer. Let me know what you thought!

Li-li


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